Robinsons squash range to be launched in Scandinavia

Britvic is to launch leading squash brand Robinsons in Denmark and Sweden to begin the expansion of its drinks portfolio across the globe. This will be the company’s first serious push on the Continent.

Establishing the brand in a market which accounts for 12 per cent of European squash sales could take five years according to Jon Evans, marketing manager at Britvic International.

Apart from Ireland and a small distribution in Greece, to cater for ex-pats, Britvic’s market is restricted to Great Britain. But an 18-month research project into the Scandinavian market suggests Denmark and Sweden would provide the perfect platform to build on.

The April launch of five squash flavours – Apple & Blackcurrant, Orange, Apple, Peach & Apple and Cherry & Raspberry – will be backed by a &£2m marketing campaign, spearheaded by a new television ad created by Danish agency Halbye Kaag & Thompson.

Whereas squash drinks in the UK are aimed at children, in Denmark and Sweden they are drunk by the whole family and the Robinsons flavours performed better than local competitors in taste tests, according to Britvic.

Evans says research will be at the forefront of any future Britvic International launches .

“We must prove our research methods and ability to launch products abroad are both sound, then we have a model with which we can expand our portfolio across many different markets,” he adds.